A 23-year-old Minnesotan who moved to Chicago to follow his dream of being a stand-up comic died Thursday after falling down the smokestack of the Intercontinental Hotel.

Nicholas Wieme, originally of Pipestone, Minn., fell 22 feet down the smokestack while on the roof with his girlfriend, attempting to take photographs. He later died after being pulled from the shaft by rescue crews.

Wieme performed at iO Theater, formerly known as ImprovOlympic, one of Chicago's top comedy companies. Relatives said in a statement that Wieme was a family man and talented comedian whose talents “were only topped by fierce love and loyalty to his family and friends."

A Chicago Fire Department official told the newspaper Wieme and his girlfriend were looking around and wanted to go upstairs. He managed to open a door to the rood simply by pulling on it, Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said.

“The bolt was not in,” he told the newspaper.

Wieme then climbed a ladder to the top of the chimney beside the large observation deck on the Intercontinental’s roof before falling 22 feet into the chimney. He struck an angle that kept him from falling further, authorities said.

Wieme tried to communicate with his girlfriend after he fell, according to initial reports.

A chimney, still don't understand how you accidentally fall into one of these or why you'd be climbing on to that given what would be coming out of it. Tragic that it ended in his death, though I honestly thought this was about a comic book when I first read the title.

im from the UK and ive never heard of a smokestack.I got that its probably a chimney, but why on earth would a hotel have a chimney? Only chimneys ive seen are for coal fires and you would be lucky to fit yr head in one, never mind your whole body also surely in 2012 a hotel doesnt have a coal fire

im from the UK and ive never heard of a smokestack.I got that its probably a chimney, but why on earth would a hotel have a chimney? Only chimneys ive seen are for coal fires and you would be lucky to fit yr head in one, never mind your whole body also surely in 2012 a hotel doesnt have a coal fire

Restaurants require them generally. It also gets mighty chilly where this happened.

Many large buildings make use of boilers to create steam for heating and those boilers have to vent their exhaust somewhere. The kitchen areas also have to vent exhaust from ovens and over stoves to the building exterior. As well, if the building has back-up generators that exhaust must be vented.
Above the roof is most common.

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nope lolim from a tiny town with a 1,500 population and 1 shop. yes ONE shop lolNearest city is aberdeen but don't go their often and when I do, I dont go on top of large buildings to check out their exhaust systems

In large US cities photographers often go to ghe roof of larger buildings to photograph cityscapes. Other people raise pigeons on the slat roofs of their apartment buildings, or just put up a folding chaise lounge chair to get some sun & fresh air. Roofs are fun.

Just stumbled across this, what a terrible story. I was actually in Chicago when this happened, kind of a damper on the mood that morning we found out, but we were staying at the Dana Hotel Chicago, and I believe she was at the Intercontinental. Sad, we were the same age, and I can't believe that Chicago hotels that get so many people there all the time don't require better safety precautions.